italy adventure – lucca

So much has been going on since Oakley and I were in Italy! Megan had her baby AND Oakley and I brought home Guppy. We’ve just been trying to get back into the swing of things and figure out our new “routine”, which now includes Gup!

[Obsessing over each other’s babies!]

Our Italy trip feels like it was so long ago, but we were still there just 2.5 weeks ago! In my last Italy post, I finished telling you all about Florence. Our next stop was Lucca, a small, walled city close to Pisa. We had been go-go-going our whole time in Venice and Florence so we were ready for a day filled with some relaxing activities. That’s exactly what we got while in Lucca!

We stayed at La Romea, a quaint B&B. We loved the husband and wife who own it – they suggested some great things for us to do! After we dropped off our bags, we headed out to explore. We went straight to the wall, which is a 3 kilometer loop (less than 2 miles).

[Beautiful tress on the wall!]

The sun was out and it wasn’t too warm – it was such a perfect day! While we were walking around, we saw a lot of people riding bikes. We decided bikes sounded like a great idea, so we found a bike rental shop and rented 2 bikes for the day.

Now on bikes instead of on foot, we continued where we left off on the wall. We came up to a beautiful garden, so of course we stopped! The garden was much smaller than the Boboli Garden in Florence, but it was just as stunning! The flowers were big and beautiful, the greenery seemed to be extra green, and the water in the fountain was crystal clear.

[Can you imagine THIS being your backyard?!]

[Look at those flowers!]

After the garden, we hopped back on our bikes and started searching for a wine bar. As in the rest of Italy, wine is not something that Lucca is lacking! We had a good amount of options to pick from – we decided on a place with a lot of outdoor seating since it was such a gorgeous day.

We each drank a glass of wine…and then another glass…and then another glass. Yep, we definitely finished a bottle or two, but boy did we have a great time! I was feeling pretty darn good, so I started taking selfies. You know, I guess I didn’t want to forget how much fun day drinking in Lucca is!

[Snapchat selfie – haha!]

[Can we go back??]

Once we were both ready to move onto our next adventure, we got back on our bikes and took off. Let me tell you, I was feeling VERY confident on the bike after I had some wine in me! I’m lucky I didn’t fall off or hit a small child – I wouldn’t have put it past me!

[Gosh, I sure do love this guy!]

We returned the bikes after we did a few more loops around the wall and set back out on foot. Per the couple’s suggestion at the B&B, we found the Guinigi Tower and climbed to the top. This climb was much, much easier than climbing the Duomo in Florence – ha! Once we got to the top, we could see the entire city!! That’s how small the city is! It was amazing to see the wall and everything inside of it. Being from Houston, it’s crazy for me to think about how some families live in such a small area! For me, this is a moment that will stick with me for a long, long time. Life in Lucca isn’t about more, more, more. It’s the simple things that make it such a unique destination.

Another activity suggested by the couple at the B&B was to go to the Puccini Opera. Neither Oakley nor I had had ever been to an opera before, so we were pretty excited about this opportunity! It was a 1.5 hour condensed version of the original opera and truly a memorable experience! I’m so happy we ended up going!

For dinner, we ate at Gigi Trattoria and then went back to the B&B. We fell asleep instantly! The next morning, we pack up and went for one last walk around Lucca. We found ourselves at Piazza dell’ Anfiteatro, an old amphitheater. As we walked around, I couldn’t help but think about what it looked like thousands of years ago.

When we got back to the B&B, we grabbed our bags and took off to the train station – it was time for Montepulciano!

Have you ever been to Lucca? If so, I would love to hear about what you thought of it! I would definitely suggest it to anyone traveling to the Tuscany region!

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nice to meet you, I’m ked

Hey there, I'm Kaitlin, aka ked! Welcome to kedgotwed, a happiness & lifestyle blog! Stick around to read more about my adventures as a newlywed, love for clothes, and passion for living a happy & healthy lifestyle!